For the Falling and Rising of Many
Jesus has a way of upsetting the apple carts, doesn’t he? When God comes into our lives, nothing can be the same.
According to the law of Moses in Exodus 13, the Lord said, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine.” And so in keeping with the law, Joseph and Mary brought the infant Jesus, the firstborn of their family, to the temple in Jerusalem to be consecrated to the Lord. And in some respects, this consecration was like any other. They went to the temple; they brought their offering of two pigeons; they did everything they were supposed to do.
And then, we are introduced to Simeon. A prophet of the temple – a man who was anointed by the Holy Spirit whose promise from God was that he would not see death before he had seen the Messiah.
And at the coming of the Christ Child into the temple, he gives this blessing:
“Master, you are now dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all your peoples; a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
This is not the same blessing and consecration that any other family bringing their child into the temple would hear. These words are entirely new. And Simeon says them, knowing that in seeing Jesus, his task set by God and the Holy Spirit is completed. That having seen the Messiah, Simeon the servant can now be dismissed by the Master in peace.
But Simeon continues with these words… words of warning? Words of hope? Words of prophecy? All of the above?
“This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Those are not happy words of blessing. But rather, they sound ominous.
To be destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel; to be opposed; and for Mary and Joseph, a sword to pierce their own souls as well.
As we know, Jesus would be opposed. And Mary and Joseph would feel their souls pierced at Christ’s crucifixion. And Jesus would be responsible for the falling and rising of many in Israel.
And we usually focus on the rising part of that equation. That God’s people, the people of Israel, have so long endured under hardships. Under the yoke of Egypt. Under the exile of Babylon. Under the occupation of Rome. As often as not their country is not their country, but the staging grounds for some foreign invader, some jewel in the crown of some other empire. And so the history of Israel to this point (and after it too) is that Israel is in need of salvation. That there is need of a Moses or a David or an Ezekiel – someone to turn Israel’s fortunes around and set the nation right again. And Jesus arrives and in that sense, he fits the mold and continues the tradition – delivering the nation.
Only it’s not the nation as a whole he arrives to. But a nation divided. He is born into a Judea that is not of one mind. Where great masses of poor peasants and city workers are in need of being lifted up. Yet there are also many who have made their peace with Rome. Not just their peace, but their fortune. Securing wealth and power within the framework of Roman occupation.
It’s a conflict we see in clear relief during Holy Week, when Jesus is cheered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday by one crowd of people, who know him to be the Son of God. And when he is mercilessly mocked and condemned by another crowd who are happy to see this threat to the status quo be condemned on the cross.
To lift up part of Israel – the part that suffers, the part that hungers, the part that cries out for justice… another part must fall. The part that profits off pain. That makes deals with the enemy. That finds greater security in swords and shields than in the word of God.
As much as the coming of Jesus into the world is a cry for joy and an outpouring of hope, he is a threat as well. From his very infancy, King Herod – a King of Israel, a supposed man of faith, knows well this threat. He knows that his throne, his court, and all his power as a puppet of Rome is held tenuously. And so he sees the zero-sum game of Christ’s arrival. If Christ brings real hope, actual glory, and true power to the people of Israel, then he, Herod, must lose power and glory. And so he makes the very rational calculation that to hold on to what he has, he must treat Jesus as a threat.
Simeon is correct. Jesus is responsible not just for the rising of many in Israel. But for their falling as well. Those stories will unfold over the coming months as we study Christ’s life, his ministries, his work, and his arrest and execution. We know that Jesus brings hope, joy, peace, and love. Yet we also know that he does not go through the world unopposed. As many in Israel rise, some choose to fall.
That dynamic… of some people rising and other falling… is not unique to Christianity. It’s not unique to Israel. It’s not unique to any faith or country. It’s part of the fabric of humanity. Nations grow and then retract. Peoples rise and fall, sometimes to rise again. We can see some of that these days in our own country as the American hegemony that we knew in the decades after WWII starts to look like it might be dwindling. We’re still growing, of course. We’re still getting bigger and richer. Just not as fast as some other countries. And there’s no shortage of finger-pointing among the politicians as to why and who’s to blame.
So for students of politics and history, the zero-sum makes sense. For someone to rise, someone else must fall.
Jesus comes into our world with a special concern for the poor, the oppressed, the downtrodden, the outcast. He comes to give hope and peace to all people, but especially those who need it most. The catch, of course, is that according to man’s ways and customs, when one group rises, another falls. And so we risk running into a cycle – that as one group rises, another is displaced, until that group rises, displacing the new powers… over and over… one group rising, another falling, over and over. It’s the pattern we see of Corruption to Revolution to Temporary Peace to Corruption to Revolution all over again.
That’s man’s way.
But when God comes into our world, when Jesus comes into our lives, nothing can be the same.
In Christ we are offered a way to break the cycle. Christ wants all people to rise. Yes, he holds the poor and the forgotten in special regard, but his solution is not to create a new class of downtrodden in their wake. No, in Christ, all people – rich and poor, Jew and Greek, master and servant, male and female – all are offered the same promise. Eternal love. Endless mercy. The Kingdom of Heaven.
These are the blessings of faith. Not that we all get to drive fancy cars and live in big houses. But that we all receive and live in love. That God’s promise is as open and available to the most penniless pauper as it is to anyone else.
When Simeon prophesies that Jesus will cause many to fall and many to rise, those who reject Jesus, who cling to their earthly wealth and earthly power, they are choosing to make themselves fall. That is not a choice that Herod had to make, it’s not a choice any of the authorities of Rome or Jerusalem had to make. It’s not a choice any of us have to make.
In Christ we are given freedom. Freedom to love. To lift others up. To be generous with God’s blessings. We are free to forgive and show compassion. We are free to help others rise. And that does not diminish us. But makes us grow all the greater with them.
The way of humanity is to choose to rise or fall; to take and to harm; to set man against man. The way of God… the way of Christ… is to lift others on our shoulders and be raised up with them. This is the path of goodness and righteousness that God wants for us. Selflessness. Kindness. Compassion. These things, given together with love to raise all people, in defiance of humanity’s expectations, give the greatest glory to God. Let us all strive to seek God’s way, and not our own – for his glory. Amen.
Let us pray.
Holy Lord, in this Christmas season we worship you in the arrival of the Christ Child. He is consecrated to you as no other, born of your essence, embodying your will. Help us to live into the love he brought into our world. As peoples rise and fall, help us to live not in conflict with each other, but with generous spirits of blessing for all your children. We pray for your guidance, your grace, and your love through the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jesus has a way of upsetting the apple carts, doesn’t he? When God comes into our lives, nothing can be the same.
According to the law of Moses in Exodus 13, the Lord said, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine.” And so in keeping with the law, Joseph and Mary brought the infant Jesus, the firstborn of their family, to the temple in Jerusalem to be consecrated to the Lord. And in some respects, this consecration was like any other. They went to the temple; they brought their offering of two pigeons; they did everything they were supposed to do.
And then, we are introduced to Simeon. A prophet of the temple – a man who was anointed by the Holy Spirit whose promise from God was that he would not see death before he had seen the Messiah.
And at the coming of the Christ Child into the temple, he gives this blessing:
“Master, you are now dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all your peoples; a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
This is not the same blessing and consecration that any other family bringing their child into the temple would hear. These words are entirely new. And Simeon says them, knowing that in seeing Jesus, his task set by God and the Holy Spirit is completed. That having seen the Messiah, Simeon the servant can now be dismissed by the Master in peace.
But Simeon continues with these words… words of warning? Words of hope? Words of prophecy? All of the above?
“This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Those are not happy words of blessing. But rather, they sound ominous.
To be destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel; to be opposed; and for Mary and Joseph, a sword to pierce their own souls as well.
As we know, Jesus would be opposed. And Mary and Joseph would feel their souls pierced at Christ’s crucifixion. And Jesus would be responsible for the falling and rising of many in Israel.
And we usually focus on the rising part of that equation. That God’s people, the people of Israel, have so long endured under hardships. Under the yoke of Egypt. Under the exile of Babylon. Under the occupation of Rome. As often as not their country is not their country, but the staging grounds for some foreign invader, some jewel in the crown of some other empire. And so the history of Israel to this point (and after it too) is that Israel is in need of salvation. That there is need of a Moses or a David or an Ezekiel – someone to turn Israel’s fortunes around and set the nation right again. And Jesus arrives and in that sense, he fits the mold and continues the tradition – delivering the nation.
Only it’s not the nation as a whole he arrives to. But a nation divided. He is born into a Judea that is not of one mind. Where great masses of poor peasants and city workers are in need of being lifted up. Yet there are also many who have made their peace with Rome. Not just their peace, but their fortune. Securing wealth and power within the framework of Roman occupation.
It’s a conflict we see in clear relief during Holy Week, when Jesus is cheered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday by one crowd of people, who know him to be the Son of God. And when he is mercilessly mocked and condemned by another crowd who are happy to see this threat to the status quo be condemned on the cross.
To lift up part of Israel – the part that suffers, the part that hungers, the part that cries out for justice… another part must fall. The part that profits off pain. That makes deals with the enemy. That finds greater security in swords and shields than in the word of God.
As much as the coming of Jesus into the world is a cry for joy and an outpouring of hope, he is a threat as well. From his very infancy, King Herod – a King of Israel, a supposed man of faith, knows well this threat. He knows that his throne, his court, and all his power as a puppet of Rome is held tenuously. And so he sees the zero-sum game of Christ’s arrival. If Christ brings real hope, actual glory, and true power to the people of Israel, then he, Herod, must lose power and glory. And so he makes the very rational calculation that to hold on to what he has, he must treat Jesus as a threat.
Simeon is correct. Jesus is responsible not just for the rising of many in Israel. But for their falling as well. Those stories will unfold over the coming months as we study Christ’s life, his ministries, his work, and his arrest and execution. We know that Jesus brings hope, joy, peace, and love. Yet we also know that he does not go through the world unopposed. As many in Israel rise, some choose to fall.
That dynamic… of some people rising and other falling… is not unique to Christianity. It’s not unique to Israel. It’s not unique to any faith or country. It’s part of the fabric of humanity. Nations grow and then retract. Peoples rise and fall, sometimes to rise again. We can see some of that these days in our own country as the American hegemony that we knew in the decades after WWII starts to look like it might be dwindling. We’re still growing, of course. We’re still getting bigger and richer. Just not as fast as some other countries. And there’s no shortage of finger-pointing among the politicians as to why and who’s to blame.
So for students of politics and history, the zero-sum makes sense. For someone to rise, someone else must fall.
Jesus comes into our world with a special concern for the poor, the oppressed, the downtrodden, the outcast. He comes to give hope and peace to all people, but especially those who need it most. The catch, of course, is that according to man’s ways and customs, when one group rises, another falls. And so we risk running into a cycle – that as one group rises, another is displaced, until that group rises, displacing the new powers… over and over… one group rising, another falling, over and over. It’s the pattern we see of Corruption to Revolution to Temporary Peace to Corruption to Revolution all over again.
That’s man’s way.
But when God comes into our world, when Jesus comes into our lives, nothing can be the same.
In Christ we are offered a way to break the cycle. Christ wants all people to rise. Yes, he holds the poor and the forgotten in special regard, but his solution is not to create a new class of downtrodden in their wake. No, in Christ, all people – rich and poor, Jew and Greek, master and servant, male and female – all are offered the same promise. Eternal love. Endless mercy. The Kingdom of Heaven.
These are the blessings of faith. Not that we all get to drive fancy cars and live in big houses. But that we all receive and live in love. That God’s promise is as open and available to the most penniless pauper as it is to anyone else.
When Simeon prophesies that Jesus will cause many to fall and many to rise, those who reject Jesus, who cling to their earthly wealth and earthly power, they are choosing to make themselves fall. That is not a choice that Herod had to make, it’s not a choice any of the authorities of Rome or Jerusalem had to make. It’s not a choice any of us have to make.
In Christ we are given freedom. Freedom to love. To lift others up. To be generous with God’s blessings. We are free to forgive and show compassion. We are free to help others rise. And that does not diminish us. But makes us grow all the greater with them.
The way of humanity is to choose to rise or fall; to take and to harm; to set man against man. The way of God… the way of Christ… is to lift others on our shoulders and be raised up with them. This is the path of goodness and righteousness that God wants for us. Selflessness. Kindness. Compassion. These things, given together with love to raise all people, in defiance of humanity’s expectations, give the greatest glory to God. Let us all strive to seek God’s way, and not our own – for his glory. Amen.
Let us pray.
Holy Lord, in this Christmas season we worship you in the arrival of the Christ Child. He is consecrated to you as no other, born of your essence, embodying your will. Help us to live into the love he brought into our world. As peoples rise and fall, help us to live not in conflict with each other, but with generous spirits of blessing for all your children. We pray for your guidance, your grace, and your love through the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.